Looking back, looking forward – Five Rivers Publishing

Michelangelo’s Dawn and Dusk sculpture
Medici Chapel

It’s December and time for reflection on what we’ve achieved and where we’re going. In the past year, Five Rivers has seen our catalogue expand from 34 books to 46.

The 2014 titles are:

Of the authors published in 2014, two of the nine authors made their debut. And of the many submissions we received this year, only 0.31% resulted in a publishing contract. In a later post, we’ll discuss the problems we frequently encounter with manuscripts, what we look for, what we don’t, and what will often result in a quick acceptance or rejection.

This year there have been setbacks as well as growth. We terminated our agreement with Iambik Audiobooks because of their lack of timely reporting and payment. Not to be daunted, we continue to investigate avenues for audiobook production of our catalogue and hope to have a solution to that in 2015.

We were also pleased to welcome aboard our intern, Jill Cabrera, who oversees some of our social media, as well as maintenance of our metadata.

Looking forward, 2015 will see our catalogue explode with the release of 29 books.

The majority of those are part of the Prime Ministers of Canada series we’re publishing, a project of which we’re very proud. When Nate Hendley came to us in 2012 with the view to finding a home for the orphaned Prime Minister books from now defunct JackFruit Press, we were pleased to undertake breathing new life into the incomplete series.

The original series had been targeted to early primary school students, more of a graphic novel approach. We decided to expand the demographic for the series so the books would be readable by, and appeal to, senior primary through young adults, with more of a journalistic, biographical tone than a graphic novel, thereby giving the Prime Minister’s office the dignity and respect it should command, while still retaining engaging readability. Anyone who thinks Canadian history is boring should read this series. There’s enough triumph and tyranny, subterfuge and noble (or Nobel) enterprise to interest even the most jaded reader.

And so, we are pleased to present to you the lineup for 2015:

February

Sword and Shadow, Book 6: The Rune Blades of Celi, by Ann Marston
Shakespeare for Slackers: Macbeth, by Aaron Kite

March

King Kwong: Larry Kwong, the China Clipper who broke the NHL colour barrier, by Paula Johanson
The Tattooed Rose, Book 3, by Susan MacGregor
Shakespeare for Readers’ Theatre, Book 2: Shakespeare’s Greatest Villains: The Merry Wives of Windsor; Othello, the Moor of Venice; Richard III; King Lear, by John Poulsen
The Prime Ministers of Canada: John Diefenbaker, by Lanny Boutin
The Prime Ministers of Canada: Lester B. Pearson, by Gordon Gibb
The Prime Ministers of Canada: Pierre Trudeau, by Paula Johanson
The Prime Ministers of Canada: Robert Borden, by Dorothy Pedersen
The Prime Ministers of Canada: Alexander Mackenzie, by Elle-Andra Warner
Eye of Strife, by Dave Duncan
Hunter’s Daughter, by Nowick Gray

April

Tower in the Crooked Wood, by Paula Johanson

May

Chronicles of Ivor, by Dave Duncan

August

The Prime Ministers of Canada: John S.D. Thompson, by Elle-Andra Warner
The Prime Ministers of Canada: Charles Tupper, by Paula Johanson
Hawk, by Marie Powell

October

Cat’s Pawn, by Leslie Gadallah

December

Type2, by Alicia Hendley
Bane’s Choice, Book 7: The Rune Blades of Celi, by Ann Marston
The Prime Ministers of Canada: Arthur Meighen, by Dorothy Pedersen
The Prime Ministers of Canada: William Lyon Mackenzie King, by Nate Hendley
The Prime Ministers of Canada: Joe Clark, by Lanny Boutin
The Prime Ministers of Canada: Jean Chretien, by Nate Hendley
The Prime Ministers of Canada: Paul Martin, by Elle-Andra Warner
Beyond Media Literacy: New Paradigms in Media Education, by Colin Scheyen
The Prime Ministers of Canada: John A. Macdonald, by Mark Shainblum
The Prime Ministers of Canada: Wilfred Laurier, by Mark Shainblum

We hope you will find our 2015 offerings of interest, and continue to journey with us on this never dull, always fascinating voyage on the good ship, Five Rivers.